Reversed Life: Chapter 16 - Bro, If I Call You an Idiot, Do You Dare Answer to it?
Chapter 16: Bro, If I Call You an Idiot, Do You Dare Answer to it?
The pitch-black motorcycle shot forward like an arrow loosed from a bow, drawing startled stares from countless pedestrians as it tore through the modern streets crowded with high-rises before finally stopping in a narrow alley near the urban village.
This place was still quite a distance from the Mu family home—about an eight-minute walk. Every time Qiao Nan had to switch to “Route 11” here—walking on his own two legs—he found it incredibly annoying.
But when he thought of Father Mu, who spoke so softly and weakly it seemed a gust of wind could knock him over, he still got off the bike with a dark expression.
The redness on his face had faded a little, but the embarrassment and irritation remained.
Even his footsteps sounded especially heavy today.
Yet when he reached the doorway and met Father Mu’s usual gaze—sitting outside in the cold wind weaving things by hand—his expression softened instinctively.
Realizing that only made Qiao Nan feel even more stifled. The entire Mu family, from the old man to the daughter, were simply born to be his natural enemies.
He could feel Father Mu’s eyes linger on his head for a moment, looking much the same as they had two days ago when he’d first come home after cutting his hair. The man was obviously still unused to his daughter’s drastic new appearance. Honestly, on the way home that day, Qiao Nan had already braced himself for a barrage of questioning about the haircut. After all, he’d long since grown accustomed to dealing with his own irritable, overbearing father.
But Father Mu hadn’t done that. Neither had Mother Mu. She’d merely kept sneaking glances at him throughout dinner before cautiously asking about it before bed.
With family like this, Qiao Nan had thought he’d feel relaxed. Instead, ever since then, he’d become even more restrained. Beyond the caution of avoiding exposing himself, there was now also a constant fear of hurting something fragile.
As usual, Father Mu brushed the bamboo shavings off himself before laboriously getting to his feet and limping over, wanting to take his daughter’s backpack. “You’re back? Why so late today?”
Qiao Nan’s gaze landed on the filthy, tattered old coat the man was wearing. Who knew how many years it had been worn? The fabric on the left shoulder had actually rubbed through, exposing blackened cotton stuffing inside. The quality was so terrible it was genuinely the worst Qiao Nan had ever seen in his life. The pampered young master, who had grown up surrounded by luxury, couldn’t help comparing it to the leather coat he’d picked out at the mall earlier today, every strand of wool practically screaming I’m expensive.
He lowered his eyes, avoided the hand reaching for the backpack, and instead shoved the paper shopping bag in his other hand into Father Mu’s arms.
At the same time, he muttered quietly, “Went shopping with classmates after school.”
Father Mu froze for a second, carrying the bag as he turned to look at his daughter walking past him into the house. “What’s this?”
“Bought it when I saw it outside,” Qiao Nan answered, quickening his pace even more. Before entering, he hesitated, then added vaguely, “It wasn’t expensive. Discount item.”
His daughter’s figure disappeared behind the door almost immediately. Only after standing there blankly for a moment did Father Mu open the bag and slowly take out what was inside.
A warm, fluffy down jacket.
The original price tag of 1999 yuan had been crossed out with pen, and beside it someone had scrawled a messy “600.”
*****
“It’s too expensive! Don’t buy Daddy things this expensive again. What a waste. You kids have plenty of places to spend money yourselves—keep more for yourself…”
Qiao Nan discovered that the usually quiet and silent Father Mu had suddenly become very talkative. At first, he’d insisted on making Qiao Nan return the jacket. Qiao Nan couldn’t understand why the man’s eyes were practically glowing while looking at the coat, yet he still wanted it returned. After refusing several times and putting on a stern face, Father Mu finally quieted down for a while.
But soon another wave of chatter followed after the man carefully washed his hands and cautiously put on the new jacket.
At first, Qiao Nan was a little impatient. Then he noticed the awkward way Father Mu stood with his arms slightly spread, trying to avoid letting his rough hands brush against the fabric.
After staring blankly for a long time, he slowly looked away. “Just wear it like that. It fits pretty well.”
Father Mu hadn’t been this happy in a very long time. After admiring himself in the mirror for ages, he still reluctantly decided to put the coat away for now and wait until after a bath to wear it properly. Qiao Nan helplessly watched him limp around the house with his bad leg. A while later, after putting the jacket away, Father Mu appeared again hesitantly in front of him.
Qiao Nan: “?”
“Your mom’s working the late shift today, so she’ll probably come home pretty late.” The joy on Father Mu’s face still hadn’t faded, but his eyes darted nervously away, as though he had to gather courage just to say this. “Xiangxiang… tonight, let Dad cook dinner for you, okay?”
Huh? Why did making dinner sound like something he needed permission for?
The spoiled young master, who’d grown up being waited on hand and foot, nodded without hesitation. “Sure.”
Yet after he agreed, Father Mu became dazed instead.
Even after standing in the kitchen for a while, he still hadn’t fully recovered. He glanced outside once—the daughter really didn’t seem to be speaking sarcastically. She’d already sat down in the living room and started playing on her phone.
There had simply been too many surprises today. It all felt like a dream.
The world of disabled people was cruel, and not merely because they couldn’t work normally anymore. In the first few years after the accident, Father Mu had been deeply unwilling to accept his fate. He’d been determined to fight against destiny, and though the family worried about him, they’d supported him unconditionally. Until one day, while Mother Mu had gone out shopping, he secretly climbed up to make lunch for his children—only to overturn the pan because his body hadn’t fully recovered.
The burns from the hot oil still covered his calves to this day. And from that moment on, Mu Xiangxiang never allowed him into the kitchen again. Whenever Mother Mu didn’t have time to cook, the little girl would rather drag over a tiny stool and stand on it to fry eggs herself than let her father touch the stove.
Father Mu had always been obedient toward his daughter. Perhaps because he hated his own uselessness, he would do anything without hesitation if it could make her happy.
So for seven or eight years, he truly never touched a spatula again. If he hadn’t been so overjoyed about receiving the jacket today, he never would have asked.
Seven or eight years…
His gaze drifted vaguely across the kitchen counter, and through those familiar yet unfamiliar cooking utensils, it was as though he saw his once-proud younger self again.
His hand gripped the knife handle. He held it firmly. The blade came down onto the washed potatoes on the cutting board. Thunk. Thunk. Thunk.
Then faster. Faster and faster.
The kitchen knife practically blurred into afterimages.
Twenty minutes later— First came a few slow sounds.
Qiao Nan was pulled out of his phone by an unbelievably fragrant smell drifting out from the kitchen.
*******
Yan Zhiyang and the others had only suffered superficial injuries. After getting disinfected at the community clinic, they were basically fine. Mu Xiangxiang sent off the boys—who all seemed unusually obedient because they were scared of doctors—and returned home, only to freeze slightly at the crowded scene inside the Qiao household.
Qiao Yuanshan and Qiao Rui sat on the large sofa in the living room, surrounded by a circle of people. They appeared to be discussing work, but the instant Mu Xiangxiang entered, the conversation stopped.
Everyone turned to look toward the doorway. Mu Xiangxiang recognized one of them immediately—the assistant called Xiao Lou or something, Father Qiao’s aide. She knew none of the others.
But she also didn’t dare assume whether “Qiao Nan” knew them or not. It was too late to send a text asking, so she could only pretend nothing was wrong and greet the two obvious leaders. “…Dad. Big brother.”
None of the people present showed any surprise at his cold attitude. Only Qiao Yuanshan and Qiao Rui, the ones directly addressed, stiffened slightly.
Qiao Rui stared deeply at his younger brother and answered calmly, “Mm.”
Qiao Yuanshan, meanwhile, straightened unconsciously, excitement surging in his chest. With so many company subordinates present, openly confronting him would have been exactly the sort of thing Qiao Nan used to do. But now—even his most rebellious son knew to save his father face in front of outsiders.
He cleared his throat. “You’re back?”
Then, out of habit born from years of leadership, he added another unnecessary sentence: “What’s in that bag you’re carrying? It’s pretty big.”
The paper bag in Mu Xiangxiang’s hand was admittedly eye-catching, so it wasn’t really his fault for noticing it. But the moment the words left his mouth, Qiao Yuanshan wished he could punch himself twice. Why is my mouth so damn annoying? The kid finally gives you a little goodwill, and suddenly you forget your place? Why ask, why ask, why ask at all? Do you really need him mocking you in front of everyone before you’ll be satisfied?
But the rebellious response everyone expected never came.
After changing into slippers, Mu Xiangxiang lowered her head to glance at the bag in her hand and spoke in an especially calm tone. “Oh, this is for you.”
Then she shuffled over in her slippers and placed the bag by his feet. “…I’m going back to the study to do homework.”
Father Qiao gave absolutely no reaction to her gift. Combined with the number of people in the living room, Mu Xiangxiang wasn’t sure how to deal with the situation anyway, so she figured hiding was the safest option.
As she turned around, she accidentally met the gaze of Qiao Rui, who sat beside Father Qiao. She froze slightly. Because he was staring straight at her. His expression seemed tightly restrained around something indescribable, looking strangely unsettling.
The look gave Mu Xiangxiang goosebumps. She hurried away.
In the living room, after a long moment of stunned silence, Qiao Yuanshan blankly stretched out his hand and pulled the item out of the paper bag.
The coat unfolded with a shake, still carrying the distinctive scent of plush fabric. The living room—which had fallen dead silent the instant the young master of the Qiao family came home—immediately came alive again. “Oh wow, Chairman Qiao, isn’t this XXX’s newest seasonal release?”
“Your son is really filial, buying clothes specially for you.”
“Man, if only the little debt collector in my house could be this sensible for once.”
Qiao Yuanshan: “…………………………”
Qiao Yuanshan: “???????”
Qiao Yuanshan: “AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH???”
He was so shocked he literally couldn’t respond.
Seeing that he wasn’t answering, someone in the living room tried to continue flattering him, only to be tugged sharply by a friend beside him.
“Shut up already,” the friend whispered warningly into his ear, while meaningfully glancing sideways toward Qiao Yuanshan’s neighbor. “Didn’t you see what that one looks like right now?”
Second-in-command of the Qiao family, Qiao Rui, sat imposingly on the sofa, eyes fixed on the floor, his expression cold enough to terrify people.
Every single person trying to curry favor immediately shut their mouths and sat in frightened silence.
Dinner had been prepared by a chef team invited to the house, supposedly quite famous. Every dish set on the table was one dazzling signature specialty after another. Unfortunately, none of the diners had the mood to appreciate them.
The leading figure, Father Qiao, looked absent-minded, and not a word of conversation could be heard at the table. Mu Xiangxiang quietly lowered her head and ate, but throughout the entire meal she felt the top of her head burning. Every time she looked up, she met Qiao Rui’s icy expression and unblinking stare.
It was the kind of look that seemed like he wanted to dig something out of her face.
Mu Xiangxiang was stared at so intensely she could barely swallow her food. Throughout the whole meal she kept wondering whether his relationship with Qiao Nan was not at all what she had assumed.
Fortunately, someone else broke down before she did. After dinner, one of the guests—who had apparently still intended to hold some sort of meeting—excused himself, claiming he felt unwell and needed to go home to rest.
Father Qiao’s reactions seemed far slower than usual tonight. He didn’t even ask a few polite follow-up questions before directly agreeing.
With the meeting impossible to continue, the others could only leave as well. A whole crowd filed noisily out of the Qiao residence, still shaken while riding the elevator down.
“Scared me to death,” one of them said with a pale face, patting his chest. “Did you see President Qiao’s—Qiao Rui’s—expression? Looked like he wanted to eat somebody.”
His companion wore a deep, thoughtful look. “They’re still real brothers, after all. I honestly didn’t think things had already gotten this bad.”
Another person shook his head. “In families like these, fighting over power isn’t exactly rare. I’m not surprised. I just didn’t expect them to stop even pretending on the surface.”
By the time the elevator reached the underground parking garage, the gossip had outwardly ended. But inwardly, everyone was already harboring their own agendas.
If the Qiao brothers were at odds, then the company’s current peace probably wouldn’t last much longer. Although Qiao Rui, the eldest son, currently seemed to hold the advantage, who knew whether a dark horse might suddenly emerge in the future?
This information was simply too valuable.
Those wanting to pick sides. Those wanting promotion. Those harboring ulterior motives.
It was time for all of them to start making moves.
*******
Mu Xiangxiang’s stomach hurt after that meal. Unable to endure Qiao Rui’s burning stare any longer, she escaped to the study to do homework the moment she left the table.
Doing homework was the happiest thing of all. After wandering through the ocean of knowledge for who knew how long, it had already grown late. She washed up and returned to her room, lying on the bed while reviewing the events of her day.
Qiao Nan. Yan Zhiyang. Guo Zhi. Cao Wei.
After switching bodies, her life had suddenly become crowded with so many new people and events. Her thoughts drifted deeper and deeper. Even after turning off the lights, she couldn’t fall asleep for a long time, only curling quietly beneath the blanket with her eyes closed in a daze.
Then suddenly, she heard the faint sound of the bedroom door opening.
This time she wasn’t half-asleep. Mu Xiangxiang jumped in fright. She wanted to greet whoever it was, but that felt awkward too, so in the end she stayed motionless, keeping her eyes shut and pretending to sleep.
The footsteps were very light. From the doorway to the bedside. Then they stopped.
A burning sensation settled above her head. Mu Xiangxiang silently paused for a moment, already guessing who the visitor was, though she found the whole thing baffling.
Sneaking into her room last night was one thing, but now he was doing it again tonight? Did Qiao Nan’s older brother have some weird hobby or something?
While her thoughts wandered wildly, a faint scent of men’s cologne mixed with body wash drifted closer. She felt the blanket around her being gently tucked up higher.
She froze. Then she realized that scorching gaze staring at her skin still hadn’t moved away.
Mu Xiangxiang began regretting pretending to sleep. She was considering whether she should suddenly “wake up naturally” on the spot when the man who had stood by her bed forever finally spoke for the first time since entering the room—
His voice was low and cold, metallic like clashing steel. “Where’s mine?”
Mu Xiangxiang: ??????
The other person clearly hadn’t expected an answer. He reached out and lightly played with her hair while muttering vaguely under his breath: “You little ingrate.”
Then suddenly— Pain exploded across her scalp!
The Qiao family’s eldest brother apparently only came to get revenge. After tugging her hair, he became instantly cheerful and ran out immediately, disappearing within two seconds while still remembering to gently close the bedroom door behind him.
In the darkness, Mu Xiangxiang slowly sat up clutching her forehead. “………………………”
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